Adults

Description

Size:  9”

Plumage/Description:  Gray head, great throat, olive-green back,lemon yellow belly, and under-tail coverts.  Dark tail with a pale/buffy color at the tip of the tail.  Can be easily confused with the Western Kingbird.

Habitat: 
Residential areas, Grassland, Oak/Chaparral, Pinyon/Juniper,

Time of year:  Spring, Summer

Relative Abundance: 
Common in appropriate habitat and season.

Behavior:  Frequently seen sitting on telephone wires or on barbed wire fences.  Actively hunts for flying insects from an open, exposed perch displaying a ‘hawking’ behavior.  When feeding it flies from its perch, catches an insect in flight, then returns to either the same perch, or a perch nearby.

Diet:  Insects

Similar species:
  Western Kingbird

Best Sites: 
Residential settings,  Willow Lake Park (Heritage Park), Pioneer Park.